Valve Face a Potential $3 Million Fine for Breaching Australian Consumer Law

The Australian Federal Court found Valve Corporation guilty of breaching Australian consumer law in March 2016. Now there has been a $3 million fine issued.

The issue revolves around Valve’s lack of a refund policy for its digital distribution platform Steam. The ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) filed charges, arguing that Australian consumers were being misled by the Steam Subscriber Agreement. There is a clash with Australian consumer law here, in that consumers in Australia are given a legal right to a refund if there is something defective with a product.

As reported by Kotaku Australia, the ACCC’s presiding council Naomi Sharp has said Valve should be fined the $3 million “in order to achieve both specific and general deterrents, and also because of the serious nature of the conduct.”

Valve’s attorney was asked if the Seattle-based company would try to combat the charges and resist a penalty, to which the attorney replied they had, “no instructions that Valve at this time will resist the enforcement overseas of any of your Honour’s orders.”